Welcome to the eighth roadmap for the C2 Development Course. It looks a little different this week. Below, you’ll see the guiding question for this week – you’ll be reflecting on this through the various tasks, as well as in our live sessions.

This week looks a little different. That reinventing the wheel thing has made it into the Roadmaps, too. Stick with it, though, I think this is a good ‘un.

Guiding question: imagine a stranger stopped you and asked you about your life. What would you tell them?

Before you watch any of the videos below, answer this question. Record your answer – either verbally or textually.

Task one: what’s one regret that you wish you could change?

Answer this question. Then watch the video of Joseph. What part of his story sticks with you the most? Why do you think that is?

Task two: what should you have achieved by now that you haven’t How does that make you feel?

Answer this question. Then watch the video of ‘James’ (I challenge you not to cry!)
What idiomatic expressions can you spot in James’ interview?

Task three: how do you find meaningful connections in the place where you live?

Answer this question. Have you ever felt lonely? If so, how did you cope with it? Does it always have to be a bad thing.

Then watch what Elsa has to say about it. Imagine you were having a conversation with her. What would you say?

Parsing the noise

Choose at least one of the videos from the previous tasks where you found the speaker challenging to understand at times. Give the video a few more listens, paying close attention to the subtitles. Make a note of any words or phrases which sound different to what you expect.

Then watch the video (or the challenging section again) and try to shadow the speaker. This is a technique where you play a short section at a time (just a few seconds) and then try to repeat the exact words the speaker said in the exact same way, mirroring them word for word and sound for sound. It’s a great way of practicing natural spoken English, as well as internalising challenging pronunciation features.

Bonus challenge: Watch this video of Irene. Enjoy it. If you want an extra challenge, find out what The Troubles were, and reflect on the experiences Irene has lived through. To what extent do these experiences resonate with your own?

This week in the Dev Sesh…

In our live session this week, we’ll explore one of these videos in depth, picking apart the sounds that make up the English they speak. We’ll also play around with the English, and have some fun chatting together about interesting (and challenging) stuff. See ya there!

Enjoyed this week’s Roadmap and want to learn more? Check you my new Pronunciation Expert course, launching in October